Archrivals New Hope and Caledonia have played each other 60 times in the game of football, 50 of which are wins for the Trojans, and never before have the two teams squared off as region foes.
Today, that fact is erased.
Along with the usual bragging rights, the last chance to add one more Region 1-5A victory is up for grabs tonight when the Trojans and Cavaliers commence their 61st battle on the gridiron in Caledonia in The Dispatch’s Game of the Week’ .
“(Caledonia is) a cross-county rival. A lot of these kids go to church together and are friends outside of school,” New Hope head coach Allen Glenn said. “I’m sure there’s some extra motivation there on both sides, but you can’t get caught up in that. It’s a 5A region football game, and for us it’s the next one. The goal is to go 1-0, and it just so happens that Caledonia is the opponent.”
The Trojans (6-3, 3-1) are standing firm in the No. 2 spot in the region standings with a 3-1 conference record, and when they get rolling they can be hard to stop. Led in the backfield by quarterback Tyrekus Brooks and ball carriers Jeremiah Harkins and Jacob Jefferson, the team has produced an average of 36 points a game. Their only blemish in conference play is a 38-7 loss to region champion West Point last week. It was a game in which New Hope couldn’t really find its footing due to turnovers at inopportune times. A muffed catch on the game’s opening kickoff and a fumble on the team’s following drive had the Trojans staring down the barrel of a 21-0 first-quarter deficit.
“We didn’t give ourselves a chance early on in that game, but credit to West Point. They are a very well-coached football team and have really good players to do it with too,” Glenn said. “So, kudos to them in the job that they do. Like I said, we’ve flushed that and got back to work on Sunday for a division opponent that you’ve got to have total focus on.”
For the home team, it’s the last call of the year to notch a regular-season victory, one that would snap a three-game losing streak in conference play. The Cavs (1-8, 1-3) are coming off a 42-17 loss at Lafayette last week and last tasted victory on Oct. 10 in a 34-14 win over Columbus. They average 20 points a game and give up 40 per contest. The Cavs will be tasked with slowing down an offense that has exploded for more than 40 points five times this season and went over 60 twice.
The Cavs may not have generated quite the eye-popping numbers their rivals have, but Glenn said Caledonia is no easy team to prepare for, especially on a short week.
“They’re a triple option-base offense, and for us defensively we have to be very, very focused and locked in on what our keys are to be able to be successful,” Glenn said. “Offensively for us versus their defense, their kids play ultra hard; they get after it. They create some chaos on that side of the ball, so we’ve got to be able to lock in and be focused on us. Every Friday night or every game within our division is a war. It doesn’t matter what they’re record is, we’ve got to be able to play our brand of football.”
As much as the annual rivalry match between the Cavs and Trojans is hyped up by their communities, Glenn said he’s not looking at it in the same way. It’s just one last opportunity for his team to face some good competition ahead of a postseason run he’s hoping will be a long one.
“You want to have momentum moving forward,” Glenn told The Dispatch. ”You want to be able to execute at a high level on both sides of the ball moving into November when the football gets real. We’re looking to execute at all phases of the game and to be ready to play the following week. I hate to give coachspeak, but really we are focused on us, focused on our brand of football and coming off last week we have to be better at what we do. So, hopefully we can have a good plan, a good showing this week and feel good about moving into the next few weeks.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
